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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. file — a tool
  5. firm — decided
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pit — in a race
  11. firm — steady
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. file — a document
  19. field — for sport
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — a subject
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — farmland

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com